Blight-MOP: Development of a systems approach for the management of late blight (caused by Phytophthora infestans) in EU organic potato production

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Cooperations

  • University of Newcastle (Coordinator), United Kingdom
    • Department of Ecological Plant Protection, University of Kassel, Germany
    • Research Institute for Organic Agriculture (FIBL), Suisse
    • Elm Farm Research Center, United Kingdom
    • Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Denmark
    • French National Institute for Agricultural Research, France
    • Plant Research International B.V., The Netherlands
    • Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (BBA), Germany
    • Agricultural Economics Research Institute, The Netherlands
    • Louis Bolk Institute, The Netherlands
    • Norwegian Centre for Ecological Agriculture, Norway

Funding

EU project (QLK5-CT-2000-01065)

Duration

01. March 2001 - 31. December 2005

Participants at FOEL

  • Christian Bruns

The Blight-MOP project "Development of a systems approach for late Blight (caused by Phytophthora infestans) Management in EU Organic Production systems" was initiated in March 2001 to achieve this aim and maintain yield and quality and hence commercial viability of organic potato crops without the use of copper fungicides. Such an approach involves integrated use of

  1. resistant varieties
  2. existing agronomic strategies
  3. alternative treatments that can replace synthetic and copper-based fungicides
  4. use of existing blight forecasting systems to optimise control treatments and to maximise synergistic interactions between (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv).

The specific objectives were:

  1. To assess the socio-economic impact of late blight and 'state-of-the-art' blight management practices in EU organic potato production systems.
  2. To assess varietal performance in organic production systems in different EU regions and interactions with local blight populations.
  3. To develop within field diversification strategies to prevent/delay blight epidemics
  4. To optimise agronomic strategies for the management of late blight
  5. To develop alternative control treatments to copper-based fungicides that comply with organic farming standards
  6. To evaluate novel application and formulation strategies for copper- free/alternative and copper-based late blight treatments
  7. To integrate optimised resistance management, diversification, agronomic and alternative control treatment strategies into existing organic potato management systems

The FOEL group work was engaged in part 1, 3, 4 and 7.

Publications

  • Finckh, M.R., Schulte-Geldermann, E., Bruns, C. (2006): Challenges to organic potato farming: Disease and nutrient management. Potato Research 49: 27-42.
  • Bruns, C., Finckh, M.R., Dlugowski, S. (2003): Zur Interaktion von Fruchtfolgestellung, Knollenansatztyp und Befall mit Phytophthora infestans bei Kartoffeln. In Freyer, B. (Hrsg.): Beiträge zur 7. Wissenschaftstagung zum Ökologischen Landbau: Ökologischer Landbau der Zukunft. Inst. f organischen Landbau, Universität f. Bodenkultur, Wien, S. 145ff
  • Stolz, H., Bruns, C., Finckh, M.R. (2003): Einfluß genetischer Vielfalt auf den Befall mit Phytophthora infestans und auf die Ertragsbildung in Kartoffelbeständen. In Freyer, B. (Hrsg.): Beiträge zur 7. Wissenschaftstagung zum Ökologischen Landbau: Ökologischer Landbau der Zukunft. Inst. f organischen Landbau, Universität f. Bodenkultur, Wien, S. 569ff